Featured Artist of The Week: Clarke Reynolds.
"Hello my name is Clarke Reynolds I’m registered severely sighted but I’m also a visual artist. My artistic language is Braille the tactile coding system which is made up of a six dot cell to allow people of low vision to read the alphabet as words are important to a visually impaired person so using the power of the English language I use the Braille dot to be a vessel to hold the word threw shape colour and size of the dot threw different mediums. Over the past 18 months I’ve been exploring Braille as a visual language making it accessible to people that can see threw colour association As the brain remembers patterns threw colour for instance we no what famous logos are just by the colour or the shapes it creates and it’s no difference to Braille when it’s made bigger it has a defined pattern that can be seen when the dots are close together so what I have done is given each Braille letter a colour so hopefully you will learn the Braille alphabet threw the colours and decode each piece. Ironically I can’t see the colours as I used too but I have the memory of colour and my pieces may look like random colours but I have looked into parings of letters that appear in words for instance E and R and using colour theory applied it to the letters so they balance each other and as a sighted person can pick up on the letter patterns just like skim reading. It also can be touched so my unique art is not only visual but tactile allowing a visually impaired person to experience the same exhibition as you threw touch and you threw sight the art is more than just the visual as each piece has a narrative threw that tiny dot.
Highlights over the past couple of years includes an arts trail around Southsea for Portsmouth creates We believe a piece called “unsung heroes” using rainbow Braille to spell out key workers that was turned into a poster and is now part of Portsmouth museum collection.
Also I have a rainbow Braille bench in Southampton city centre spelling out hope and love.
I have just had my first solo Braille exhibition at yellow edge gallery Gosport I also curated my first show as well at the same gallery.
Things are very busy this year as I have three exhibitions coming up in London a piece going to Rome for Rome art week and I currently have art at able artist gallery in Tallahassee. With projects including Braille workshops for an arts council project about hidden disabilities and about to work with the national Paralympic heritage on a Braille community piece inspired by their archive.
My aim is to bring Braille into the 21st century threw workshops exhibitions and public art and be a role model for people of all ages with visually impairment."
Selected artwork:
Artworks in order:
Image Decoding Braille alphabet, 50cm 70cm
On this canvas is my colour coded Braille alphabet using raised letters and wooden discs so visually you can see it as well as physically touch it
Braille
A system of writing using raised dots for people with low vision identified by touch
50cm 70cm
Taken from my first solo exhibition decoding Braille decoding me
Dots
A small round mark written or printed used in the art technique of pointillism painting
50cm 70cm
Used for my first solo exhibition decoding Braille decoding me
Impaired
People who have a physical or mental disability for example I’m visually impaired
50cm 70cm
Used in my first solo exhibition decoding Braille decoding me
Tactile
Designed to be perceived by touch producing a sensation can be navigated by feeling
50cm 70cm
Used in my first solo exhibition Decoding Braille decoding me